This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to backpart moulding and heel seat lasting machines.
One such machine is described in U.S. Patent Specification No. 3138810 and comprises a shoe support for supporting, bottom uppermost, a shoe comprising a shoe upper on a last and an insole on the last bottom, said support comprising a last pin which is received in a last pin hole formed in the crown of the last, a holddown, by which the heightwise position of the heel seat of a shoe supported by the shoe support is determined, the shoe support also comprising means for moving the last pin heightwise into and out of an operative position determined by the engagement of the heel seat of said shoe with the holddown, a heel band assembly, comprising a heel band which provides a moulding surface shaped complementarily to the heel end of the shoe to be operated upon and by which said heel end can be clamped and moulded, and a wiper assembly, comprising a pair of wiper plates and means for effecting forward and inward movement thereof whereby the wiper plates are effective to cause heel seat lasting marginal portions of the upper of a shoe the heel end of which has been clamped as aforesaid to be wiped over and pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole of said shoe whereby, with adhesive applied therebetween, said marginal portions are bonded together, said means also being effective to cause the wiper plates to be retracted at the end of their operation, and the arrangement being such that, with the wiper plates in an inwiped position, the holddown is retracted and increased pressure is applied to the shoe support thus to apply a bedding pressure to said marginal portions, wherein the heel band assembly and the wiper assembly are supported by a support arrangement, means being provided for effecting relative movement of approach between the shoe support and said support arrangement, to cause the heel end of a shoe supported by the shoe support to be engaged by the heel band, thus determining an operative relationship between the shoe support and the support arrangement, and for effecting relative movement of separation therebetween to a spaced relationship to facilitate the loading of a shoe on the shoe support.
More particularly in said Specification an apparatus is described comprising a central activator station and two operating stations each constituted by a machine as set out in the preceding paragraph, one for operating on left shoes and the other on rights. It will be appreciated that separate stations are preferably used for left and right shoes, since the heel band is preferably of different contour for each hand of shoe in order to achieve the best backpart moulding results. This is especially true where so-called "long" counters are used in the backpart of the shoe, that is to say stiffeners which extend well into the waist of the shoe.
In the use of the aforementioned apparatus, or more recent commercial derivatives thereof, the provision of the two stations means that the operator can, during the moulding time at one of the stations, unload and re-load the other station and also load the activator station, thereby creating a satisfactory workflow. Because of the relatively long moulding times required, however, it has been found that productivity of the machine is nevertheless restricted, since in general with a skilled operator there will be a significant waiting time during each cycle of operation.